The present invention relates to a bracket for mounting an auxiliary compressed air breathing tank to a main compressed air breathing tank.
Portable air tanks are widely used in a number of environments to provide a source of breathing air. For example, air tanks are used by underwater divers, fire fighters and workers involved with toxic chemicals. Such tanks are commonly constructed of a metal-walled, closed-end cylinder filled with compressed air and having an openable and closable valve at one end for releasing the compressed air therein. Typically, the air tank is securely mounted to the back of a vest or like harness worn about the torso of the user which supports the air tank in a generally upright disposition on the user's back during use.
Due to the inherent unavailability of oxygen and the other dangers of the environments in which breathing air tanks are used, it is critical that safeguards be taken to assure the tank user of an uninterrupted source of breathing air. Thus, it is recommended practice that air tank users carry a back-up air supply for use in the event of malfunction or exhaustion of the compressed air of the air tank. One preferred back-up air supply is an auxiliary or so-called "Pony" breathing air tank carried on the harness which supports the main air tank to provide a second emergency source of breathing air which can be accessed by the user. The main air tank and the auxiliary air tank are typically each provided with separate means for delivering the air from the tank to the user, usually a flexible hose extending from the air control value of the tank and having a mouthpiece called a "regulator" at its distal end for disposition in the user's mouth.
Since the user only operates the auxiliary air tank in the event of a malfunction or exhaustion of the main breathing air tank, it is generally not necessary for the auxiliary tank to provide a breathing air source of a relatively long duration since the prudent user will seek to exit the underwater or toxic environment immediately after putting the auxiliary tank into use. For this reason, the auxiliary air tank is typically of reduced scale compared to the main breathing air tank. However, in spite of the reduced size of the auxiliary tank, the competing design considerations of reliably securing the auxiliary tank to the harness for transport therewith while at the same time minimizing the size and complexity of the equipment present a considerable design challenge. Preferably, the auxiliary tank should be mounted to the harness in tandem with the main tank so that the user's range of movement is not additionally limited. On the other hand, the tandem disposition of the main and auxiliary tanks creates the need to secure the two tanks so that they do not collide with one another during movement of the user.
One known device for securing an auxiliary breathing tank to a main breathing air tank is a fabric loop secured to the auxiliary tank by a pair of spaced apart, parallel screw-type metal clamps or another suitable strap inserted through the loop and extending securely about the circumferential extent of the auxiliary tank, whereby the fabric loop is adapted for similar insertion therethrough of the webbing or belt which secures the main breathing air tank to the harness so that both the auxiliary and main tanks are held to the vest or harness by the belt. However, this device suffers from several recognized disadvantages. First, in order to mount and demount the auxiliary tank, the retaining belt of the vest or harness must be completely unstrapped from the main tank to allow the belt to be inserted through and withdrawn from the fabric loop. Further, during normal use, the non-rigid fabric loop tends to move or twist at least slightly, thus introducing movement between the auxiliary tank and the main tank which gives the user an unstable feeling.
Accordingly, the need exists for an apparatus for securing an auxiliary breathing tank to a main air tank in which movement between the two tanks is minimized. Additionally, the need exists for an auxiliary tank mounting apparatus which reliably mounts the auxiliary tank to the main tank while providing the capability to readily and easily install and remove the auxiliary tank without completely unstrapping the tank retaining belt of the user's harness.